Daily hospital visitors hit with fine for false parking allegation

A COUPLE who have spent weeks visiting a poorly relative in Queen’s Hospital have been slapped with a parking fine for an offence they say they did not commit.

Roy Woolley and his wife Carol have spent around £100 on daily visits to the Belvedere Road site, and say they have become familiar with the system in that time.

So the pair, of Clay Mills Road, Stretton, said they were shocked when they received a £70 penalty charge notice saying they had stopped in the drop-off area for more than an hour – something both claim they did not do.

Mr Woolley, 78, said: “We couldn’t believe it. There is no way I would have driven in there, as we always park in the same place.

“We’ve never been in the drop-off area.”

The couple have been vigilant over parking since they received another fine five weeks ago. On that occasion Mrs Woolley was unable to find her ticket as proof against the fine, so they paid the fee.

However, they have been on their guard since then.

“We’re that annoyed, as this parking business at the hospital has been going on for some time.

“You don’t want it when you’re visiting somebody. It’s hard enough work when you’re going every day, without worrying if you’re going to get fined each time,” Mr Wolley added.

The pair have appealed against the fine, and won.

A spokesman for Parking Eye put the issue down to ‘an intermittent fault’, which affected the system around this time.

“Once it was identified, it was rectified and letters have been issued to the affected motorists confirming that any parking charge issued has been cancelled.”